the daughter told me that they were mistreating her mother, the prosecutors. of the -- in the manhattan district attorney's office. i told them to stop the meeting immediately until i was able to get back to new york city and meet with them. when i got back to new york city, i spoke with the victim and i met with her daughter. and both of them individually met with me with tears in their eyes and told me that the prosecutors here had repeatedly screamed and yelled at her. the little 15-year-old daughter told me that she was outside of the da's office behind -- when her mother was behind closed doors with the prosecution team. and all she could hear were the prosecutors screaming and he will whying at her mo inyelling while she was trying to do her

homework. she became concerned for her mother. then when there was a break and they went out to talk to someone, they returned. that someone was me. because when i found out that they were mistreating her, i told them to stop going forward with the interview. they wanted to continue. i told them, wait until i get back to new york city. what the victim's daughter told me is that when the prosecutors walked back into that office they screamed at her mother, get out! get out! get out of here! and they threw her mother out of that office. this little girl had tears in her eyes when she told me how they had treated her mother. i was so concerned that i demanded a meeting with the district attorney himself, cy vance. they didn't grant it. so i had to meet with the second

in charge, dan alonzo, who i worked with when we were both federal prosecutors in brooklyn. and i complained to dan alonzo about how they had been treating the victim. and i told them clearly that the way they had treated the victim was no way to treat a rape victim. then the following week, after i had been on this case since may and had been at this office many times, had many phone calls with the prosecutors, many meetings, many discussions, i learned for the very first time by reading "the new york times" that one of cy vance's top aides, the third in charge, the woman in charge of the entire trial division, is married to one of dominique strauss-kahn's lawyers. she's married to the man who's

been in this courtroom trying to get dominique strauss-kahn off for his attack on the victim. that troubled me. because i believe that as the lawyer for the victim, the district attorney had an obligation to tell me that one of his top aides was married to one of dominique strauss-kahn's lawyers in this case. and so i demanded a meeting with cy vance. and i was granted a meeting with cy vance. and i asked cy vance, how could he ensure that his number three person would not get information from all the other prosecutors here and inadvertently tell her husband when they're at home at night? i said, i want to make sure that you have taken the necessary steps to truly wall off this prosecutor. i want to see the e-mail that went to every prosecuting office

saying that karen friedman had recused herself. i wanted to see the letter that went to every prosecutor in the office. and guess what? there is no letter. there is no e-mail. >> all right. that is the accuser's lawyer, kenneth thompson, just speaking. just as we have learned again this hour in the breaking news that scandalized imf chief dominique strauss-kahn is a free man. we were also listening a little early your to strauss-kahn's lawyers a few moments ago. this is what was said. >> it is a great relief and a wonderful time for the family to be together and to have some flexibility in their lives. i want to remind everybody that it was just six weeks ago that dominique strauss-kahn was in rikers island and was charged in an indictment that had the full force of the people behind it.

and to remind all of you how easy it is for people to be charged with serious crimes and for there to be a rush to judgment. >> all right. jonathan dienst of our new york affiliate wnbc, jonathan, as you watch what was just said by the attorney for the accuser here, what do you make of that walling off there of one of the prosecutors? >> well, one of the lead prosecutors in the office was married to one of the defense attorneys in the case. he did -- she did recuse herself from this case, but there were a lot of other issues that he raised that were of greater concern to him and his client and that is what they were alleging was mistreatment by the prosecutors in the end when they were accusing her or questioning her about her apparent lies, about her past. again, all of this coming to the forefront here because

prosecutors found that this woman allegedly lied about being raped, or making a claim she'd been raped in her home country years ago and used that as an asylum reason to get into this country. they continued telling those lies to prosecutors in a very emotional tale with tears, that's the way it was described to us, and then finally, according to sources familiar with the case, she recanted and said i made it up, i made that previous rape case up. so as a result of that, her credibility is of great question. now, her lawyer stepped forward and said it was they who went forward to offer up that she'd lied on this asylum application, one, and that has nothing to do with the attack that they claim took place in that hotel. and they're saying her shoulder was injured, all she'd done was gone in to clean that room, and there was physical evidence that was found on her dress that links strauss-kahn to this attack and they say there was no way this incident was consensual

as the defense claims. the lawyer for the accuser obviously quite concerned, quite upset at the turn this case is taking, because his client is being accused of being a liar, and he's saying, no, in their view, that she was in fact attacked by strauss-kahn and he should be charged. now, on the other side, the defense lawyers for strauss-kahn are saying this is a case that never should have been brought. that the police and prosecutors could have and should have done more in finding out more about this accuser before arresting and charging strauss-kahn in this case. but again, they feared he was getting on a plane, they had an accuser, they had dna evidence, so that was why they made that arrest. >> jonathan, stay with us. wendy is also going to join us, wendy murphy, who is a former prosecutor. what do you think of what has happened just within the last two or three hours and with what jonathan was just telling us about these allegations of lies? >> well, you know, call me a

cynic, but i sort of think this was more predictable maybe than others. i wrote a piece for "women's e news" and i said, this guy's got a lot of money, this case is going to go, poof. it's really all about what story will come out to make it seem legitimate. i'm very suspicious of this story on so many levels. number one, if it remains the case that the defense is consent and she says it wasn't consensual, who cares what she's lied about in the past? let a jury figure out what is the truth. and also a past history of sexual offenses, does that mean he really is guilty and let's not even have a trial? do we make such judgments about people's past? and let's remember, right away in this case, dsk had people in africa offering this woman money in exchange for her making this case go away. what i'm thinking is the prosecution is going to blame

the victim, the victim is going to blame the prosecutor. >> that is not proven fact, that is a report that is out there at the moment. >> what i'm saying is everyone will point the finger at the other one and the case will go away, and what i want to know is did cash exchange hands? this is a very wealthy man that was already money reportedly being offered to her family in africa, someone should be looking at, you know, the story behind the story. and my opinion is, i don't care if she lied in the past. i don't care if he committed a sexual offense in the past. a jury should decide this case. and if a prosecutor has any integrity, that prosecutor will make this case proceed to trial and let a jury decide the evidence. but you know, that would require the system to be one of justice and truth as opposed to cha-ching. that's how i feel. >> wendy murphy, thank you so much. as we look at the facts coming in and the reports you were looking at there, again, not proven. jonathan dienst is still with us. final thoughts to you here as we

look forward in what's going to be happening in this case. what do you think, jonathan? >> just to respond a little bit on that point, the prosecutors in this case will now say that the problem is the key witness, her story is now in question because of her apparent past lies. and her apparent contacts with a drug suspect in prison, a recorded phone conversation about her wish to perhaps collect or gain money as a result of this case. there are a lot of questions about her alleged links to some folks on the outside on top of her past lies. so the charges were not dismissed this day, the investigation continues. prosecutors are going to try to take this and follow the facts as they lead, and make a determination. it's their responsibility if they have problems with a witness or an accuser to divulge that to the defense and to the court. they did that this day. as a result of that, the judge agreed that bail should be reduced as the investigation moves forward. defense lawyers are confident

that as a result of all of this the charges will soon be dismissed. >> jonathan dienst, thank you. we now move to the casey anthony trial. delays, delays, delays. the prosecution was supposed to call a handful of rebuttal witnesses to the stand when court resumed this morning, but the defense had a problem with that and demanded more time to depose some of those witnesses. the judge was not happy here. >> there are really problems and there are imaginary problems. and i hope this is a real problem and not an imaginary problem. >> the judge recessed court indefinitely. we're outside the courthouse in orlando, and when we look at this, what does the judge want to get done during this recess? it seems like it's going to be quite some time. >> we have no idea how long it's

going to take. i have heard rumors around the courthouse they might resume at around 1:00 to 1:30, but that's up to the defense. what jose baez was trying to do this morning was actually strike out these witnesses' testimony altogether. judge perry did not allow for that, and an aggravated perry said, okay, you have some time or however long you want to take to actually depose these witnesses' testimony, and we might resume either today or tomorrow. he wanted to give the defense saturday to prepare closing arguments. now it seems it won't be a reality and we will be back in court tomorrow, sunday, monday, and however long it might require for this trial to get done and over with. but they want to depose these witnesses now. >> so when we look at this, what is this new testimony about? what are they talking about specifically here? >> reporter: we know they plan to bring a computer expert to rebut cindy anthony that it was

her who did the searches of how to make chloroform in the anthony computer in the household. they will likely prove she was at work and not home when those searches were made. there's another one, another expert who will rebut the testimony when he considered dr. g., the medical examiner's office, shoddy. he said this was not well done, he should have opened caylee's skull to investigate further, this expert is likely to say there's no need for that and dr. g.'s autopsy was well done. >> thank you with the latest. let's bring back wendy murphy. wendy, we've looked at the latest developments, this testimony they are now looking at. judge belvin is looking at the situation, he is not happy. he may come back and say this is another stall tactic. what do you think is happening here? >> i think he's really angry with the defense in particular because what the prosecution said is the defense had this

expert information. we gave them everything about what we might provide from these witnesses. what are they complaining about? and so i think judge perry is basically indulging the defense, assuming that he really doesn't know everything, but i think the judge believes that the defense knows exactly what the prosecution plans to put on in this very brief rebuttal testimony. so we will likely see the trial end in terms of the rebuttal case later today. that's my prediction, because i don't think they're likely to make extensive, complicated points like some of another experts have done in the past couple of weeks. >> judge perry had to deal with a lot in the courtroom. i want to play a little bit of sound, first. >> how long are you going to need to talk to these people? >> i don't know what new opinions they have. so i will start right away and we will take it from there. >> what the new opinions are and that is it. so the depositions should be fairly brief on those issues. >> so i guess the state is admitting there are no new opinions now. >> no, i am not.

but if we can stop this and maybe just get to some actual work, judge, i'm ready to go. >> so do you think it's another day? or is it two or three? >> well, in terms of the rebuttal case i suspect we'll be done by today. the interesting question to me is why is jose baez trying to irritate the court and drag this case out? who's he trying to make angry and to what strategic end? it's got to be i think that he believes the more angry the jury becomes the more likely they are to vote to acquit. because there is no rational explanation for some of his tactics that have been making the court so angry. he's got to believe this is thee atically advantageous to anthony. i don't see it. i'm not in the courtroom. >> wendy murphy, thank you so much on that. millions of americans will be hitting the road this holiday weekend. we've got some good news about gas prices for you, plus a battle of the social networks. google takes on facebook. but facebook apparently has something up its sleeve. something awesome they say. first, though, a look at what's

happening on wall street right now. another green day on this friday. up 127 and change on the dow. why? manufacturing reports look really good. more things are being made in the united states. [ male announ] we are americans. we know right from wrong. and we know the ads blaming president obama for the economy are politics at its worst. the republicans have opposed economic reforms at every turn. and now they have a plan that would essentially end medicare for future retirees... slash education... while giving huge tax breaks to big oil and the wealthy. we can't rebuild america if they tear down the middle class. priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising. priorities usa action is responsible for the content purina cat chow helps you well-being. we're all striving for it.

nurture it in your cat with a full family of excellent nutrition and helpful resources. purina cat chow. share a better life. challenge that with olay regenerist night elixir. its gentle glycolic formula resurfaces at night for the smooth skin of a light chemical peel. sleep tight. regenerist, from olay. keei switched to a complete multivitamin with more. only one a day women's 50+ advantage has ginkgo for memory and concentration, plus support for bone and breast health. a great addition to my routine. [ female announcer ] one a day women's.

[ female announcer ] something unexpected to the world of multigrain... taste. ♪ delicious pringles multigrain. with a variety of flavors, multigrain pops with pringles.

well, smackdown on capitol hill, republicans are fighting back against the president's news conference, take a listen. >> congress isn't going to approve hundreds of billions of dollars in tax hikes. it's simply not going to happen. the president does not seem to get it. >> not to be reckless, not to give demogogic speeches, he

should be ashamed. >> the time to come down to talk to republicans, i remember when he talked to republicans before and all we got was a lecture. so maybe if he'd just take a valium and calm down and come on down and talk to us, it might be helpful. >> karen finney is a former democratic spokesperson, guy benson hosts "the guy benson show," good day to both of you. karen, let's start with you. you know, telling the president to take a valium, it sounds it's getting a little ugly here. how do we come together? >> i don't know. i was thinking of those, watching that last segment, maybe we need the judge from the casey anthony trial to come in here and mediate, because he seems pretty tough. here's the problem, though, richard, and i think guy might even agree with this, the thing is, this is bad for everybody. this is not necessarily -- i think it's a false thing to believe that it's benefiting one party over the other. essentially what's happening, if you're someone who is struggling

or unemployed, when you turn on the television, what you're seeing is exactly what you think of washington. that it's broken. and i keep hoping that at some point the political pressure of that will occur to both sides and they'll kind of get it together and actually try to compromise. and the major compromise is not everybody gets everything they want. >> guy, can either of the two sides come out winning in this back and forth? >> i think that remains to be seen. but i want to focus on the events of the last two days, which i think speak volumes. the president had that hectoring lecturing press conference wednesday, during which he said congress needs to do their job. congress needs to really focus. and he expects leaders to lead. so setting aside the fact that democrats have not produced a budget in the senate for 793 days, i think it is today, the republicans in the senate said, fine. let's cancel next week's fourth of jewelruly recess, let's buck down and compromise and what did the president do?

mitch mcconnell said come to capitol hill, let's talk and the white house said it's not worth our time and the president jetted on of to a political fund-raiser in pennsylvania. come on. >> guy, that's a little bit revisionist. remember when president obama invited the republicans, gave them a couple days' notice to the white house and they just couldn't be bothered to come over. so if we're going to talk scheduling, not to mention part of the reason the democrats had trouble getting a budget through is republican obstructionism. >> no. >> if we're going to talk about budgets, let's talk about the budgets passed under republican leadership that got us into this mess. and if we're going to say that it's tax cuts that's going to create all these jobs, then where are the millions of jobs that should have been created from those bush tax cuts? >> i'm amazed i'm listening to a democrat lecturing republicans about jobs, 9.1% unemployment with a democratic president, democratic senate and up to this year a democratic house of representatives as well. there was no republican obstructionism on a democrat budget. you cannot filibuster -- >> yes, there was. >> karen, i want to move on to

karen here, and let's first listen to what rand paul said a little bit earlier, a clip from what he said. take a listen. >> yesterday the president went on national television and chastised congress. he said to congress, and i quote, members of congress need to ns cancel things. you know what? i agree. i'm here, though, today, mr. president. where are you? my understanding is the president's campaigning, has a fund-raiser in philadelphia tonight. i don't believe he's here tackling the nation's problems today. >> so, karen, did the president make things worse, karen, here by going to that fund-raiser? >> if it was me i might have canceled that fund-raiser or done a phone into it or something. but the bottom line is everybody's here this weekend. so nobody has any excuses why they can't get together and get something done. >> all right. karen, guy, thank you very much for your time today. have a great july fourth. >> thank you, richard. the tea party hits the road this holiday weekend to rally

support from voters, but which republican candidate will the tea party support? plus the duke and duchess of cambridge, better known as will and kate, got a royal reception in canada. [ groans ] [ marge ] psst. constipated? phillips' caplets use magnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally with your colon than stimulant laxatives, for effective relief of constipation without cramps. thanks. good morning, students. today we're gonna continue...

♪♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ look at that car, well, it goes fast ♪ ♪ givin' my dad a heart attack ♪ [ friend ] that is so awesome. ♪ i love my car [ engine revving ] [ male announcer ] that first chevy, yea, it gets under your skin. ♪

or will soon, you're starting a whole new journey. and, like many people, you're probably wondering, where do i go from here? consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. call now for a free information kit and guide to medicare to get started. basically, medicare only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. a medicare supplement insurance plan helps cover some of those expenses. and that can save you up to thousands of dollars a year in out-of-pocket costs. plus, you can keep any doctor who accepts medicare patients. together with medicare, an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan could be the kind of coverage you're looking for.

in fact, it could make a world of difference. call now for your free medicare guide and information kit about aarp medicare supplement insurance plans, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. okay, there's another social media battle brewing, google has just launched its own social networking site, google plus. it's being called a facebook killer. is it a facebook killer? >> at least it's going to try to be a facebook killer. if anybody can do that, it's probably google. >> so why would it be a killer? what are some of the features, you've had it now a day? >> it really is a lot like facebook. they have a stream just like your facebook news feed, obviously you can share photos and videos and they have friends groups, kind of the networks on facebook. the key is for google they can say you've already got g mail, this on google, that on google,

just bring everything over here. >> they're a third mover. you've got facebook, myspace and google plus. >> starting a third social network sight but just like facebook supplanted myspace, maybe google will supplant facebook. i'm not going to bet the farm on it, though. >> in terms of hundreds of millions of users around the world. >> and google's previous attempt at doing social stuff like google buzz and google wave, those have not done well at all. >> so i don't want to be a downer on this, it has certainly shown some demand. cnet is very positive on it right now, and we understand that you can sign on but you have to be invited, and that ebay is selling invitations former 99 cents. >> i've not seen them on ebay yet, but if you go to plus.google.com they let people in chunks at a time. they don't want to crash the

service within a few days, but everyone will be able to get in. >> appreciate it. what's being called an unfairly long prison sentence is be commuted. why thousands of federal inmates could soon be going home. plus, it's fourth of july weekend, and that means fireworks. but unfortunately, not for everyone. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ introducing purina one beyond a new food for your cat or dog. a lot of peo and those people are what i like to call wrong.

take metamucil. sure it helps you keep regular, but it doesn't stop there. metamucil is the only leading fiber supplement with psyllium, which gels to help remove waste and reduce cholesterol. it can multi-multitask. it's so 2012. look at it! it's doing over a million different things right now. metamucil. ask more of your fiber.

[ male announcer ] introducing mio.

a revolutionary water enhancer. add a little...add a lot. for a drink that's just the way you like it. make it yours. make it mio. [ female announcer ] something unexpected to the world of multigrain... taste. ♪ delicious pringles multigrain. with a variety of flavors, multigrain pops with pringles. thousands of federal prisoners could be getting a get out of jail early card thanks to a new law. this decision by the united states sentencing commission affects 12,000 inmates that works out to about one out of 17 in the federal system. the federal bureau of prisons estimated over the first five years that change will save $200 million. mary price is vice president and general counsel for families

against mandatory minimums, and criminal defense attorney kendall coffee is a former u.s. attorney. just looking at some of the history of this and how it started, the 1986 law, five grams of crack was equal to 500 grams powdered cocaine, which led to a mandatory five years behind bars. now, that law then changed over time, 28 grams, which is equal inform five years, the disparity here it went from 100-1 in terms of the comparison, powder cocaine to being kra, to 18-1 over that time. why are we waiting so long to say the parity among the two? >> after listening to the sentencing commission send in report after report talking about particularly the racial disparity inherent in the sentencing structure, we've had enough. and a nearly unanimous congress overturned the law a year ago. >> when you look at this and the history of the law, there has been big questions about the

racial disparity and who it affects when we take a look at those who use crack versus cocaine. >> well, the courts look at that, too, and they consistently rejected any theories it was racially discriminatory. let's not forget the fact that in the early '90s we had crime waves jet fueled by crack cocaine. now years later you have to look at that experience and say the penalties were tough, the prison sentences were tough, but there's plenty of evidence that it worked, that it helped get the crime wave under control. today the murder rate is probably 60% of what it was in the early '90s. so now that the worst of the crack cocaine crime wave is -- seems to be over, the congress has taken a look at things, and i think the obama administration has a pretty sound middle ground, in terms of how to approach the 12,000 inmates who may be affected. >> the average reduction is estimated to be about three years. >> yes. >> the prisoners or those incarcerated, they need to make this appeal.

this request to get this reduction. will they have the resources to do so? is it a complex process? >> it is a complex process, but they will have the resources to do so. a few years ago the sentencing commission reduced crack cocaine sentences modestly and made that change retroactive, just as they did yesterday. so at that time, over 25,000 prisoners petitioned the courts, and the courts, the probation officers, the public defenders, and the justice department got together and made sure that there was a fair and as easy as possible could be process. >> there are some that are concerned here, kendal, they say they should put restrictions upon those who can actually get this reduction. do you think that is the process that should go forward? >> well, i think that you're going to see the justice department looking at them not only case by case, but in terms of some policy parameters. for example, attorney general holder has said people whose crack cocaine convictions were accompanied by crimes with the use of firearms, they may oppose any kind of sentence reduction.

same thing with individuals with a criminal history. so i think that while there are plenty of people who are eligible, there has to be a careful process to deciding who's going to get it. because at the end of the day, minimum mandatories have an important role in protecting society, and they have a value in keeping this particular type of drug thing, which clearly fueled crime, we clearly has different chemical reactions and um 00en response to the white powered cocaine. that's has to be looked at. >> thank you for your time. now the iowa tea party bus tour makes its final stop in des moines tomorrow, and michele bachmann is going to be front and center. bachmann's had the best week ever after officially launching her campaign in iowa monday. she's already closing in on front-runner mitt romney. the grass roots director of the

tea party express, launches another bus tour in august. let's ask you this, do you see bachmann going all the way here? >> well, you know, we're really excited. i mean, michele bachmann has shined for a long time within the tea party movement. she's been a loud voice on the front lines. so we're glad she's in. but quite honestly we think there's more players to get on the field so we're not ready to throw support by independeehind. we want to see the cream rise to the top. we want to hear how they feel about the principles and values of the tea party movement which i know she's strong on, but so is herman cain. fiscal responsibility, limited government, free markets, but we want to hear from these candidates on who has the ideas and solutions to turn this economy around, get job growth going again. >> does she have the ideas? >> i think she probably has some ideas, but as i said, you know,

honestly in full disclosure, tea party express has -- we're doing the first ever tea party presidential debate in september, so for the integrity of that debate, we're not supporting or opposing anybody right now. it's a completely level field, and we, as i said, want to see them rise to the top and see who's really going to shine. >> just speaking of who will shine, what does bachmann have over romney, you think? how do they compare? >> you know, i -- i mean, they're both strong candidates, you know, they are totally different candidates, and the tea party movement is going to have to decide who they support, who they feel like has the best ideas and solutions, as i said, to get the economy turned around. we want to beat barack obama. the thing is, this is the important thing. we're not going to wait on the gop to hand us the nominee as they have for so many years. we're going to hand the gop a nominee. we don't believe that the person that wins the nomination can do it without the support of the tea party movement.

they need the boots on the ground, the passion, the fire in the belly. they need that to win that nomination. so we're going to give the gop the candidate who we want to be the nominee. >> amy kremer of the tea party express moving it forward with the bus tour, thank you for your time. appreciate it. >> thank you. and breaking news right now on dominique strauss-kahn. we're going to listen to the district attorney who has something to say right now. >> after the indictment against the defendant was filed, we continued as an office to investigate the case rigorously, as we do, and are obligated to do. that investigation raised concerns about the complaining witness's credibility. and we turned over to the defense the information that gave rise to those concerns, as we are ethically and legally obligated to do. in addition, because our request for substantial bail was based

in part on our assessment of the strength of our case at the time of the indictment, we disclosed this information to the court today as well. today's proceedings did not dismiss the indictment or any of the charges against the defendant. our prosecutors from the manhattan da's office will continue their investigation into these alleged crimes and will do so until we have uncovered all relevant facts. the vindication of the rights of sex crimes victims is among the highest priorities of this office. and we regard the treatment of this victim, we believe we have done nothing but to support her and everything in our power to maintain her privacy and to keep her safe.

and we will continue to do so. after the indictment was filed, i stood here and i said that the highest duty of a prosecutor is to ensure that the safeguards of american law are provided to all who come before our courts. our judicial system seeks to ensure fairness and justice for both victims and defendants. as prosecutors, our duty is to do what is right in every case, without fear or favor, wherever that leads. the disclosures we made that led to today's proceedings reflect that principle. in this case, as with every case, our office's commitment is to the truth.

and the facts. and that will govern how we proceed. thank you very much. >> okay. with he were just listening to cyrus vance, the district attorney, talking about the case of dominique strauss-kahn, who was just released from house arrest. this after some questions, some reports on the credibility of the accuser, the house maid. we continue to follow that case. they'll be back in court, we are hearing, on july the 18th. now, despite government cuts and layoffs, some cities across the country are going all out this fourth of july. communities have turned to donor sponsors and charging small admission fees to save july fourth celebrations. and one of this year's biggest fireworks displays will be broadcast by the way on nbc so you can enjoy it at home. with me now, nick lachey, host of the macy's fourth of july fireworks spectacular. what do you he cyou expect for year's celebration? no doubt a lot of fun. >> yeah, it's going to be great.

macy's does it bigger and better every year than anyone else, and to be a part of it, you know, i'm truly honored to be the host this year in eric new york. it will be fantastic. >> what are you going to be doing to make it fun? >> well, in addition to having the biggest and best fireworks anywhere in the country on the fourth of july, we also have two fantastic musical guests in beyonce and brad paisley who will be performing on the festivities, and in addition to that, we're also paying tribute to two very, very important anniversaries, the 125e anniversary of the statue of liberty as well as the ten-year anniversary of 9/11. and we'll be paying tribute to 9/11 and the victims of the 9/11 during the fireworks ceremony. there will be a light tribute to them during the fireworks show. so two very important anniversaries we'll also be recognizing. >> so important to remember that, and as we look at some of the pictures of past celebrations, do you have any numbers in terms of the numbers of fireworks that we'll be

watching that night? >> i think over 40,000 shells are going to be launched during the festivities. >> wow. >> on fourth of july. so it's truly spectacular show to be there in person obviously and 3 million new yorkers will join us there on the banks of the hudson river, but it's equally impressive on television, and there's a whole soundtrack synchronized to the show, so it's just an amazing show and i'm honored to obviously be the host and to be a part of it. >> i know you're used to loud music and loud noises, there's a lot of noise during that entire celebration. how 'd you get involved in this whole thing, by the way? >> well, i'm hosting the singoff on nbc as well, so i think it was just a logical transition for me to step over and be the fireworks host this year. i've performed a few years back and having lived in new york went down numerous times to watch the show. about you this year as the host i'm hoping to have the best seat in the house right there on the front row.

>> you're getting married soon, is your fiancee going to be there? >> she is. she's going to join me there in new york city for the fireworks, we've actually watched it together in years past, so fourth of july is all about being with your friends and family and bringing in the fireworks show together, so i'm very happy she'll be there with me. >> look forward to that as well as your wedding, thank you so much, nick lachey. >> thanks a lot. >> you bet. and don't miss macy's fours of july fireworks speck tar lack on nbc. just ahead, the other royal wedding that reportedly almost did not happen, details of prince albert's want to be runaway bride live from monaco. we've got that next. ♪ [ cat meows ] ♪ [ whistle ] ♪ [ cat meows ] ♪ [ ting! ] [ male announcer ] travelers can help you protect the things you care about

and save money with multi-policy discounts. are you getting the coverage you need and the discounts you deserve? for an agent or quote, call 800-my-coverage or visit travelers.com.

every day you live with the pain of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis could be another day you're living with joint damage. help stop the damage before it stops you by asking your rheumatologist about humira. for many adult patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis humira has been proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. humira's use in patients with ra has been evaluated in multiple studies during the past 14 years. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events can occur such as, infections, lymphoma or other types of cancer,

blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. make today the day you talk to your rheumatologist. and ask how you can defend against and help stop further joint damage with humira. all right. the royal couple are spending the day celebrating canada day. canada's 144th birthday celebration with a jam-packed schedule. will and kate began the morning with a trip to a citizenship

ceremony. kevin dybtibbles is live in ott. the weather looks great. what a celebration you're in the middle of. what's our plans today, of will and kate's? >> reporter: you're talking about a jam-packed schedule, i'm talking about a jam-packed parliament hill, where i hope you can hear me because the music is very loud. the duke and duchess right now are listening to some home grown canadian entertainment. earlier today, they helped swear in 25 new canadians going through the citizenship ceremony. can you imagine if you came from as far away as belarus or madagascar which is where some of the people came from, and you're being sworn in to your new country by the duke and duchess of cambridge? this is a cross country tour that's going to go from ottawa to quebec to the french speaking part of the country to the maritimes, prince edward island,

then to the arctic, which is where this young lady singing now comes from, and it ends in calgary, home of oil barons and the world's biggest rodeo. they have a very busy schedule over the next week or so, and as long as i don't lose my voice, i'll be able to keep sending reports to you about what's going on. >> kevin tibbles, do not lose your voice. that was a great report and i know you'll continue to be following them as they go on their trips throughout the next bunch of days. appreciate it. >> reporter: happy canada day, richard. >> there you go. happy canada day to you, too, my friend. they're celebrating another royal wedding in europe today, prince albert ii just married an olympic swimmer today in a private civil ceremony. michelle kaczynski is live and we're also expecting another ceremony tomorrow. is that right? >> reporter: yeah, it is a

two-day lavish ceremony. monaco could not do it any other way, of course. what's a little bit strange about this, some tension surrounding it, there were all these rumors that have come out in the press starting with a respected news magazine saying last week the bride tried to flee, that she went to the airport, bought a one-way ticket home to south africa, and that the palace basically had to persuade her with much effort to stick around. supposedly she heard something about prince albert's private life. the palace won't confirm anything, they're denying it all, even though some highly-placed sources confirm, yes, something like that happened, although they're not giving too many details. as one paper just reported, the bride said, i do. she did not run away. how strange to have that reported as part of the happiest day of your life. but it really was beautiful. it was a very serious, i would say somber, and emotional ceremony. this is just for the closest family and friends. they were all together in the

throne room of the palace. you saw princess stephanie crying, princess krcaroline. it was very sweet on the balcony, they kissed and she sort of put her head on his shoulder and that made everybody sort of sigh, say, it looks sweet, it looks genuine, it looks like love. >> it not only looks like love, it looks fantastic and quite rich, you look fantastic yourself, that nice yacht behind you, monaco always the exciting place. >> that's ours. that's the nbc yacht there. >> well there you go. we do it right when we go abroad, i guess. thanks again, michelle. i'm jon haber of alto music. i've been around music my entire life. this is the first alto music i opened when i was 24. my business is all about getting music into people's hands.

letting someone discover how great music is, is just an awesome thing. and the plum card from american express open helps me do that. i use it for as much inventory as i possibly can. from picks...to maracas... to drums... to dj equipment... you name it, i can buy it. and the savings that we get from the early pay discount on those purchases has given us money to reinvest back into our business and help quadruple the size of our floor space. and the more we expand, the more space we have for instruments and musicians to come play them. rock n roll will never die. how can the plum card's trade terms get your business booming? booming is putting more music in more people's hands.

all right. some more developing news on the casey anthony trial. we've just learned at msnbc they will resume in court at 1:00 p.m. eastern. that will be happening just in a bunch of moments, stay with msnbc for more information on that. i'm richard lui in for contessa

brewer. thanks for watching on this friday. up next, "andrea mitchell reports." she is live in aspen, colorado. are politics at its worst. the republicans have opposed economic reforms at every turn. and now they have a plan that would essentially end medicare for future retirees... slash education... while giving huge tax breaks to big oil and the wealthy. we can't rebuild america if they tear down the middle class. priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising. you can do this... get the ball, girl. hmmm, you can't do that. but you can do this. bengay pain relief + massage with penetrating nubs plus the powerful pain relief of bengay. love the nubs! ♪ [ male announcer ] you've reached the age

where you don't back down from a challenge. this is the age of knowing how to make things happen. so, why would you let something like erectile dysfunction get in your way? isn't it time you talked to your doctor about viagra? 20 million men already have. with every age comes responsibility. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects may include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. see if america's most prescribed ed treatment is right for you.

see if america's most prescribed ed treatment purina cat chow helps you well-being. we're all striving for it. nurture it in your cat with a full family of excellent nutrition and helpful resources. purina cat chow. share a better life. our girl's an architect. our boy's a genius. we are awesome parents! biddly-boop. [ male announcer ] if you find a lower rate on a room you've booked,

we won't just match it. we'll give you $50 towards your next trip. [ gnome ] it's go time. breaking news right now on "andrea mitchell reports," released without bail. no more house arrest. a shocking twist in the sexual assault case against former imf chief and french presidential contender dominique strauss-kahn. the accuser's credibility brought into question by prosecutors. the charges now reportedly hanging by a thread. no long holiday break for congress, facing a deadline on the debt ceiling. and republicans are striking back after that tongue lashing from president obama. >> it, frankly, rankles many of us to have the president engage in such blatant demogogary when he himself doesn't take